a big tub filled with warm relaxing bubbles......the giggles of children hiding in the same old places......deep embracing hugs from people you love.....these are the real decorations of a home.
So come on in and let’s “decorate” for a while. Things are far from perfect here, but that’s where the real beauty lies....finding contentment just in the “now”.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wedding Ideas - Part 2 - Flowers

Copyright Kim Arington Photography

Flowers add so much beauty to a wedding. If cost was not a concern, I would have them everywhere for I dearly love flowers. Unfortunately, cost is a concern and flowers will eat up your wedding dollars very quickly.

Celosia grown in my garden was used in the corsages and boutonnieres.

For Baby Girl's wedding we saved quite a bit on flowers by purchasing buckets of roses from a flower market, and by using flowers grown in my garden. We kept the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres very simple.

All of the greenery was collected from my garden.
Copyright Kim Arington Photography

Rather than concerning ourselves with fancy floral design, we opted to just gather gorgeous flowers. The results were stunning and elegant. We were fortunate enough to have two family members who had worked in floral shops in the past, and they assembled all of the flowers for us.

Copyright Kim Arington Photography

I do not recommend that the bride or mother of the bride be the ones putting together the fresh floral arrangements. There is too much to do the last day or two before the wedding. Instead, accept the help of friends and family who are offering. Just give them very clear, step-by-step instructions and keep it simple. If the bride and/or mom are going to make arrangements, use artificial flowers and make them weeks ahead. You can get beautiful artificials at Michaels or Hobby Lobby when they are on sale. If fresh is still important to you, consider creating artificial designs and adding some key fresh flowers to the arrangements on the wedding day. We did this as well.

Copyright Kim Arington Photography

Baby Girl was married at the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, AK. Since this is a popular wedding destination, we only had 1 1/2 total hours for decorating, the ceremony, and pictures. We decided to decorate with only 2 urns of flowers. Time was of the essence, but more importantly the chapel does not need anything to enhance it's beauty. It is gorgeous on it's own.

Copyright Kim Arington Photography

Whether it is little boutonnieres or large arrangements, be sure to take time weeks before the wedding to practice the design or to make the artificial arrangements. Waiting until the end will just add pressure and distract from what the wedding is all about. And remember, if your heart is set on a particular arrangement or bouquet - then choose that as one of the areas you spend your budget.

Baby Girl when she first saw her bouquet.
Copyright Kim Arington Photography

These are great tips to for holiday decorating, as well. Keep designs simple and try making artificial arrangements then adding fresh materials. It's a great time saver.